P-13　Effect of foot bathing in carbonated or warm water on foot grip strength

Abstract

Some training methods are used in rehabilitation to strengthen the foot grip force. But these methods are boring and the training does not continued by people. So we tried new training methods of exercise of grasping with a toe during foot bathing. The purpose of this study is to clarify the effect of the new training methods on the foot grip strength.

Participants are ten males aged 21 to 65. They performed an exercise of gripping with toe of a foot in carbonated or warm water and another foot did same action in the air as a control. After the gripping exercise, the foot grip strength was measured again. The experiment was conducted on three conditions;

(1) in 1000ppm carbonated water of 25 degree centigrade,

(2) in 38 degree centigrade warm water,

(3) in the air (control).

At first, participants measured foot grip strength, then they took a foot bath for 5 minutes.

The results showed that the foot grip strength tended to increase after bathing in carbonated but not changed in warm water and control. Carbonated water bathing is known to dilate peripheral blood vessels and increases blood flow. Warm bathing also expands peripheral blood flow and increases blood flow. It is not clear whether exercise training with increased blood flow increase muscle strength but it is considered that the increase of foot grip strength after the exercise in the carbonated water is due to the increased blood flow of a foot. Foot bathing is popular in Japan and if people move their foot fingers in a bath, a risk of fall in aged people will decrease through the increase of foot grip strength.